Authorities said to believe the late Sage Stallone was a drug dealer but not an addict

'He was a drug dealer, not an addict': Authorities said to believe the late Sage Stallone was selling Vicodin

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UPDATED:

13:57 GMT, 19 July 2012

Law enforcement sources have revealed that authorities investigating the death of Sage Stallone believe he was a drug dealer.

Insiders have apparently told TMZ that it is thought that a 'likely scenario' is Sage was dealing Hydrocodone- more commonly known as Vicodin- but not an addict himself.

A key factor in this theory is said to be the late actor's weight.

At 188lbs and 5'7″, Sage didn't have the thin frame which is usually a trait of addicts.

TMZ was reportedly told: 'He was pudgy, and drug addicts are almost always rail thin.'

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New evidence: Law enforcement sources have revealed that authorities investigating the death of Sage Stallone believe he was a drug dealer

The website's source claims that no Hydrocodone tablets were found in Sages house, but that there were over 60 gigantic empty prescription bottles.

Each of these would have held 500 pills, meaning that Sage would have had over 30,000.

LAPD detectives and L.A. County Coroner investigators will apparently use batch numbers and serial numbers to track down the bottles, but it is thought highly probably that they were shipped from abroad.

The bags of white powder found in the room where Sage died have not yet been tested, but it is said to be likely that they contained Hydrocodone.

Meanwhile close friend of Sylvester Stallone's late son has come forward to say that the 36-year-old did not take his own life.

Stephen Wozniak claims that Sage Stallone had no intention of committing suicide, and had been making plans for the future with him shortly before his demise.

Wozniak told TMZ: 'It was absolutely not suicide.'

He added: ' I'm certain that this really horrible thing that happened was an accident. It could have been anything – but nothing like suicide. I knew him pretty well.'

'I spoke to him a few weeks ago. We talked about resurrecting a film we worked on, other projects, talked about his girlfriend and time they'd spent together. We talked about my wedding and he seemed to be thinking about it.'

Searching for the truth: A grief-stricken Sylvester Stallone is claimed to have hired a private investigator to look into what happened to son Sage

While Wozniak does believe that Sage suffered from depression, he is adamant that the actor and director did not react to the problem with substance abuse.

'He would have withdrawal and get depressed,' he told E! News.

'He would try to overcompensate. He would try to clown around and I know that those are things people do, medicate or wake up. He was no different. Very few people were telling him, 'Don't do that.' I did. He was very resistant when you would tell him that. It was a sore point with him.'

Wozniak's claims are at odds with those of Sage's mother, Sylvester's first wife Sasha Czack, who has blamed the painkillers her son was using after recent dental surgery for his death.

Probe: The actor has hired Scott Ross, who has previously worked on the Chris Brown and Rihanna case, and Michael Jackson molestation case

Bags of white powder were found in the room where Sage Stallone died, it has been claimed.

Law enforcement sources allegedly told TMZ that detectives at the scene discovered 'several little baggies'. Tests are being conducted to see if it could be cocaine or crushed Vicodin, the website reports.

There were no obvious signs of the white powder of Sage's body, when he was found dead in his Los Angeles apartment last Friday.

It was earlier reported how huge empty prescription bottles were found in Sage's bedroom. It is now being claimed that '60 gigantic bottles, like the ones in pharmacies,' were unearthed, TMZ reports.

Part of the investigation is finding out how Sage got hold of such a large quantity of prescription medication – which included Hydrocodone, generic Vicodin – a prescription medication used to treat moderate to severe pain, but which is also used as a recreational drug.

The news comes as Sage's father Sylvester Stallone hired a private investigator to discover exactly what happened to his late son.

According to TMZ, the actor, 66, has met with top P.I. Scott Ross in an effort to understand what led to the tragic death of Sage Stallone last week.

The website reports that Ross was called to Stallone's home to discuss the investigation with the actor, his brother Frank and an L.A. County Coroner representative.

Ross was behind the probes into the Chris Brown/Rihanna battery case and Michael Jackson molestation case.

While it is widely believed that Sage, who was 36, overdosed on painkillers following dental surgery, Stallone wants to know if he was using drugs or drinking alcohol in the lead up to his death, it is claimed.

According to TMZ, Ross has a history of working with Stallone and is a trusted friend.

Sage was found dead in his home last Friday night, with bottles of pills scattered all over his room, the L.A. County Coroner reported.

Life cut short: Sage died in his Hollywood home from a suspected drug overdose

Toxicology results are expected within four to six weeks.

Yesterday, Sage's mother Sasha Czak revealed her belief that he had accidentally overdosed on pain medication following extensive dental work.

In her first public comments on her son Sage's death, Czak said she had begged him not to have so much dental work carried out in one day.

She said her son had five teeth extracted two weeks before he was found dead at his Hollywood home last Friday.

Czak, Stallone's first wife, said she had warned her son about having so much dental work carried out in one sitting.

A mother's agony: Sage's mother Sasha Czak, seen here with him in February 1991, said yesterday that her son may have overdosed on painkillers after undergoing extensive dental surgery

'I told him not to do that. I've heard about people dying having multiple procedures done to you mouth. Do not have more than one tooth (pulled),' she told the New York Post.

When asked if her son would be taking pain medication, she added: 'Wouldn't you be.'

Hollywood star Stallone who is said to be grief stricken by Sage’s death released an emotional statement talking about his 'agonising' loss.

He said: 'When a parent loses a child there is no greater pain… This agonizing loss will be felt for the rest of our lives.

'Sage was our first child and the centre of our universe and I am humbly begging for all to have my son's memory in full left in peace.'

Father and son: Sage starred alongside Sly in the 1990 film Rocky V

Los Angeles coroner Ed Winter has denied reports that Sage was living in squalor when his body was found.

One report said he was surrounded by rubbish and cigarette butts and had become a recluse.

'Sage Stallone wasn't living in squalor. His home wasn't unordinarily messy. It seemed to be a typical male messiness. Mr. Stallone did have a housekeeper,' Winter told website Radaronline.

Although foul play is not suspected Los Angeles detectives are helping out in the investigation.

Sage’s lawyer has said he was planning to get married and was not depressed.

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